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change flat tire

I'm new to tadpole trikes and it just occured to me it might be difficult to fix a flat front tire while on a ride. Since the front wheel can't be easily removed, what does one do while on the road? Any advise from any of you long time trike riders.

Comments

Hello bentnow,
Unless you have fenders on your trike, you don't even need to take off the front wheels. That is just another plus to owning a trike! All you have to do peel them off to the outside of the wheel. And the rear wheel comes off the same as any other rear wheel. I hope this helps you out.

I take off the fender, it's basically just as easy as removing the struts on the front wheels. Unscrewing the bottom outside screws and then the top inside ones to lift it off is what I do.
I really need to start working on learning to patch by pulling the tube out instead of removing the tire/wheel.

I carry a spare too but it's in case of a really bad situation like freezing temperatures or a rainy day flat. I'm the type that thinks if your going to remove and replace the tube why not go ahead and fix it now?

My Rover has fenders... all that's necessary is to remove the top four screws (two on either side - don't lose them - they are really, really small!) to remove the fender. On the tire, mark where it is aligned on the wheel, to check the inside for whatever caused the flat on the tube.

Once all the air is let out of the tubes, you only need one of the tire tools though most sets have two or even three. Once one side of the tire is out of the rim, pull the tube, fix or replace.

Note, it is really easy to remove the tire at this point, but, again, make sure you know which side is which... some of them will have arrows pointing to the direction of travel.

If you were able to determine where the hole in the tube was, check the tire for any puncture areas, and run your hand on the inside, about where the hole was on the tube. I use one of the micro-fine fabric cloths to check, chances are, it will 'stick' on any burr or sticker that penetrated the tire. If you can find it, make sure it's removed before putting the tube back on!

Slightly fill the tube until it has a 'rounded' shape, insert the stem, and then the rest of the tube. Then, use both palms to re-insert the side of the tire wall onto the wheel... no tools are really necessary to do this, only a bit of patience!

After having two flats on the right side tire in a week, even after replacing the tube the first time, and not being able to locate any sticker, I finally replaced both tires with Kenda... in over 1000 miles of riding... on both paved/unpaved trails, I've not had another issue.